Portable stand



R. B. PEALER PORTABLE STAND Nov 7, 1939.

Filed May 24, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 7, 1939 FATENT UFHQE PQRTABLE STAND Robert B. Peeler,Warren, Ohio, assi nor to Beaver Pipe Tools, 1110., Warren, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application May 24, 1937, Serial No. 144,375

1 Claim.

invention relates to a portable stand adapted normally to'support itsload with proper rigidity when the stand is stationary, but readilyconvertible into a wheeled support, so that the load may be convenientlymoved from place to place while on the stand. My stand has beenespecially designed for supporting comparatively light machine tools, asfor instance pipe threading machinery, which while too heavy to beentirely lifted and carried about by one man may be readily rolled byhim about the shop.

To the above end, I have provided a stand which may be made ofstructural shapes and plates welded together, the top of which issecured to the bed plate of the machine to be carried. The stand at oneend may support an axle with a pair of wheels, the peripheries of whichdo not touch the floor. Provision is made, however, for securing theaxle to the frame in a lower position where the wheels rest on thefloor,

and carry that end of the stand above the floor level.

Adjacent the top of the stand I provide a pair of shiftable parallelrods. When these rods over- 25 hang the end of the stand where thewheels are located, they enable that end to be readily raised so thatthe wheel axle may be mounted in the lower holder and support that endof the stand above the floor. Then when the rods are 30 shiftedlongitudinally beyond the other end of the stand, they form handles bywhich the operator may lift that end of the stand and roll the wholedevice along the floor.

My invention is illustrated in the drawings 35 thereof, and ishereinafter more fully described with reference to those drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my stand, with an illustrative machinetool mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is an end view of the stand. Fig. 3 is adetail 40 of the axle support, being a fragmentary vertical section onthe line 33 on Fig. 2, looking toward the stand. Fig. 4 is a perspectiveof the stand below the bed of the supported machine. Fig. 5 is a detailat one corner of the stand, as

45 indicated by the line 55 on Fig. 4.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, my stand has four vertical legs at thefour corners of the rectangle, those shown being designated l, 2 and 3.The four legs are effectively positioned by suit- 50 able bracing platesand bars welded to the legs. The legs l and 2 are of the same piece witha top portion 5, these parts being made from an angle iron bent asshown. The other two legs are similarly formed. The two top portions, 6

and l, are effectively secured together by a top plate 3. The legs arebraced by longitudinal braces H! and ii and transverse end braces l2 and13, formed of angle irons and carrying a plate l5 which forms ahorizontal brace and acts as a tray. Suitable gusset plates It may also6 be employed.

At the bottoms of the legs l and 2 is secured longitudinally extendedfoot plates 18, while the other legs preferably have outwardly extendingfoot plates i9. 10

As shown in Fig, 1 the bed plate 29 of the machine tool rests on the topplate 8 of the frame. This bed plate 23 is bolted at 2|, by boltsextending through the top plate and through the adjacent flanges of thestand members 6 and 5, 1, so that the bed plate in effect becomes thetop of the stand.

At each side of the bed plate 2!] are a pair of aligned ears 2% and ineach pair of ears is mounted a longitudinal rod 26, which mayconveniently be a pipe having having caps 21 on its ends, the rod thushaving a limited longitudinal movement beyond either end of the stand.

The wheels which are normally idle, but may support one end of thestand, are designated 39. 25 They are mounted to turn freely on an axle3i. Mounted on the axle some distance in from the wheels are a pair ofcollars 32, having crowned outer faces as shown at 33. On each of thelegs I and 2 is a cleat formed by a block 35 on the outer face of theleg, and a plate-like portion 36 secured to the block and extendingabove and below it. These parts are welded together and to the legs, asillustrated. They provide a pair of upwardly facing laterally openreceptacles 31, and a similar pair of downwardly facing laterally openreceptacles 38.

Normally, when the stand is supporting its load in use, the wheel axlerests in the receptacles 81, which supports the wheel a short dis- 40tance above the floor, as indicated in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2.However, if it is desired to roll the machine from one place to another,the operator lifts the wheels, removing the axle from the receptacles31, and places the wheels on the floor with the axle adjacent the outerface of the plates 35; then drawing the rods 25 toward him to the limit,and using such projecting rods as handles, he lifts the adjacent end ofthe machine slightly, and then shoves the axle against the lower portionof the legs I and 2, and then lowers the stand so that the axle occupiesthe receptacles 38. In this operation the crowned collars 32 act as camsto laterally position the axle and keep the wheels properly spacedbeyond the legs,

Now by shoving the rods 25 in the opposite direction to their limit, theoperator has converted the machine into a two-wheeled wheelbarrow, andby using the projecting handle is able to lift the other end of thestand and roll it to a new position. Thereafter, he reverses theposition of the rods, lifts the machine at the wheel-end, freeing thewheel axle and then lowers that end to the floor and restores the wheelsto their normal idle position.

By making the rods 25 shiftable, one avoids having them normallyprojecting unduly at either end of the machine, where they might be inthe way of the operator.

The bed 20 may carry any machine tool which the stand is adapted tosupport. I have illustrated a pipe threading machine made after themanner of my Patent No. 1,947,874, issued February 20th, 1934, to myassignee, The Borden Company, now known as Beaver Pipe Tools Inc. Asshown in Fig. l, the supported machine comprises a hollow frame A,carrying a rotary chuck B, a longitudinal shiftable cariage C, which maycarry for instance a pipe cutter D, and a ring E having inwardlyprojecting threaded dies. A motor F may drive suitable gearing notshown. within the hollow frame to operate the chuck.

The stand described with the exception of the machine bed plate 20, ismade up of angle irons and plates welded together, and thus is light andat the same time strong in construction. The bed plate of the machine,which makes in effect the top of the stand, is bolted to the partsdirectly below it. By mounting the slidable rods on this bed plate, theymay serve also as a means by which men may carry the machine itself whenthe bed plate is freed from the frame.

I have found that the shifting of the rods and the lifting of the end ofthe frame, and the repositioning of the wheels may be effected veryquickly. The operator when he lifts the wheels from their normalsupport, ordinarily places them with the axle raised against the outerface of the receptacle plates 36, and then by lifting that end of themachine he can with the toe of his shoe shove the axle towards themachine so that when the machine is lowered the axle is automaticallyrepositioned. If desired, the intermediate portion of the axle may besquare so as to fit with desirable snugness in either of the rectangularreceptacles, while allowing it to be readily removable.

It will be noted particularly that the wheels 30 are comparativelylarge, so that they may readily roll over a rough floor or even on theground, thus accomplishing a much better result than small wheels orcasters. By having such wheels entirely above the floor level when idle,the machine has the desired firm support for use. The wheels are carriedin that end of the machine which is distant from the position of theoperator, in front of the carriage, and thus do not interfere with himin any manner.

If desired, the space in the stand above the horizontal bracing plate l5may be open, such plate constituting simply a tray for any convenientstorage. On the other hand, this space may be closed to provide astorage compartment, by vertical plates carried by the legs. In thiscase, there are fixed vertical plates at the ends and one side of themachine, while at the other side I provide a removable vertical plateenabling access to the compartment.

As illustrated in the drawings, the storage compartment just referred tois closed by a vertical plate 40, the lower end of which extends freelybehind the upper flange of the brace bar l0, while near the top of thisplate is an opening through which a staple 4| depending from the topplate 8 may pass. This staple may, for instance, receive a padlock (notshown), and the plate may have a suitable handle 43 by which it may belifted.

I claim:

A portable stand having legs, a removable axle carrying a pair ofwheels, means carried by the legs at one end to support the axle withthe wheels above the floor, and also to engage the axle when the wheelsare on the floor and the legs above the floor, whereby that end of thestand may rest on the legs or on the wheels as desired, and a pair ofslidable rods adjacent the top of the stand adapted to project beyond itat either end.

ROBERT B. PEALER.

